RT Journal Article
T1 Effect of short-term high-CO2 treatments on the quality of highbush and rabbiteye blueberries during cold storage
A1 Toledo-Guerrero, José David
A1 Álvarez, María Dolores
A1 Herranz Hernández, María Beatriz
A1 Escribano, M. Isabel
A1 Merodio, Carmen
A1 Romero, Irene
A1 Sanchez-Ballesta, M. Teresa
AB The global demand for blueberries has increased due to their health benefits, but postharvest losses, particularly firmness loss and decay, present significant challenges. This study evaluated the effects of high CO2 concentrations (15% and 20%) applied for 3 d at 1.0 °C on highbush (cv. ‘Duke’) and rabbiteye (cv. ‘Ochlockonee’) blueberries, with a focus on quality maintenance during cold storage. The quality parameters evaluated included titratable acidity, pH, total soluble solids, weight loss, and decay. The effect of gaseous treatments on firmness was analyzed using mechanical parameters and the expression of genes related to cell wall integrity (XTH23, PL8, PG, PM3, EXP4, and VcGH5). Treatment efficacy varied between species. High CO2 levels reduced decay in both cultivars, but only the highbush cultivar (‘Duke’) showed improvements in firmness. In ‘Duke’, CO2 treatments affected the expression of XTH23, PL8, and GH5, while the role of PG and PME in maintaining firmness was minimal, with no significant differences between treatments. In ‘Ochlockonee’, CO2 effectively reduced weight loss but did not improve firmness. In conclusion, these results highlight the need for tailored postharvest strategies for different blueberry cultivars and suggest that short-term high CO2 treatments may effectively prolong the postharvest life of highbush blueberries.
PB MDPI
YR 2024
FD 2024-12-03
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/118646
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/118646
LA eng
NO Toledo-Guerrero, J.D.; Álvarez, M.D.; Herranz, B.; Escribano, M.I.; Merodio, C.; Romero, I.; Sanchez-Ballesta, M.T. Effect of Short-Term High-CO2 Treatments on the Quality of Highbush and Rabbiteye Blueberries During Cold Storage. Plants 2024, 13, 3398. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13233398
NO Author Contributions:Conceptualization, M.T.S.-B. and I.R.; methodology, J.D.T.-G., M.D.Á., B.H., M.I.E., C.M., I.R. and M.T.S.-B.; formal analysis, J.D.T.-G., M.D.Á., I.R. and M.T.S.-B., writing—original draft preparation, J.D.T.-G., M.D.Á., B.H., I.R. and M.T.S.-B.; writing—review and editing, I.R. and M.T.S.-B.; visualization, M.I.E., C.M., I.R. and M.T.S.-B.; funding acquisition, M.I.E., C.M., I.R. and M.T.S.-B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 16 jun 2025